Daniel Salas, Minister of Health, confirmed that between January and March there has been an unusual increase in cases of whooping cough in the country.
Data from this institution confirm a total of 27 cases in that period, while in 2018 there were 37 and in all 2017 there were 35 cases.
Salas reported that the majority of patients are from the Southern Zone of the country; and it has not yet been possible to determine if the cases are related to the outbreak of whooping cough that affects the population of the Comarca de Ngabe Buglé in Panama.
Between December 2018 and February this year, 85 people have been affected in the neighboring country.
Pertussis or whooping cough is a very contagious disease caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis that is passed from one person to another by coughing or sneezing. This disease is accompanied by cough and fever, but can present acute symptoms for six weeks.
Nearly 45% of this year’s cases have affected children younger than one year old, the other most affected age group with 34% of cases are adults between 20 and 55 years old.
Puntarenas is the most affected province with 16 cases, followed by San José (4), Limón (3), Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago and Guanacaste with 1 case each.
The first symptoms can last from 1 to 2 weeks and usually include:
Rapid cough followed by forced breathing and high frequency sound
Vomiting during or after coughing.
Exhaustion (a lot of fatigue) after coughing fits.
Children under one year old usually do not have a cough, but a breathing pause known as apnea, and the skin of the lips or around the mouth may turn blue.
The authorities recommend extreme measures of hygiene, sneezing protocol and vaccination.